Antibiotics and Vaccinations in Poultry Production

Antibiotics and vaccines serve different purposes in animal health. Treating them as interchangeable can make poultry production claims confusing.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are medicines used against susceptible bacterial disease. How and when they are used depends on the health situation, applicable rules and the producer’s veterinary and flock-health program.

Consumers should distinguish appropriate treatment of illness from a separate marketing claim describing how an animal was raised.

Vaccination

Vaccines are used to stimulate protection against particular diseases. They are not antibiotics. Vaccination programs can be an important part of disease prevention and flock health.

Production claims need context

Canadian labelling guidance establishes criteria for method-of-production claims, including claims involving antibiotic use. Consumers should not infer antibiotic practices from unrelated terms such as pasture-raised, local or free-range.

Ask what happens when birds become sick

A useful farm-direct conversation can include whether birds are vaccinated, what disease-prevention measures are used, how sick birds are treated and what happens to an animal if treatment affects eligibility for a particular marketing program.

Transparency means explaining the actual practice rather than presenting treatment decisions as automatically good or bad.